GENERAL APPEARANCE
The ideal Boxer is a medium-sized, square built dog of good substance with short back, strong limbs, and short,
tight-fitting coat. His well developed muscles are clean, hard and appear smooth under taut skin. His movements
denote energy. The gait is firm, yet elastic, the stride free and ground-covering, the carriage proud. Developed to
serve as guard, working and companion dog, he combines strength and agility with elegance and style. His expression
is alert and temperament steadfast and tractable.
The chiseled head imparts to the Boxer a unique individual stamp. It must be in correct proportion to the body. The broad, blunt muzzle is the distinctive feature, and great value is placed upon its being of proper form and balance with the skull.
In judging the Boxer first consideration is given to general appearance and overall balance. Special attention is then devoted to the head, after which the individual body components are examined for their correct construction, and the gait evaluated for efficiency.
SIZE, SUBSTANCE, PROPORTION
Height -- Adult males 23 to 25 inches; females 21½ to 23½ inches at the withers, preferably, males should not be under the
minimum nor females over the maximum: however, proper balance and quality in the individual should be of primary
importance since there is no size disqualification. Proportion -- The body in profile is of square proportion in that a
horizontal line from the front of the forechest to the rear projection of the upper thigh should equal the length of a
vertical line dropped from the top of the withers to the ground. Substance -- Sturdy with balanced musculature. Males
larger boned than their females.
HEAD
The beauty of the head depends upon the harmonious proportion of muzzle to skull. The blunt muzzle is 1/3 the length of the
head from the occiput to the tip of the nose, and 2/3 the width of the skull. The head should be clean, not showing deep
wrinkles (wet). Wrinkles typically appear upon the forehead when ears are erect, and folds are always present from the lower
edge of the stop running downward on both sides of the muzzle. Expression -- Intelligent and alert. Eyes -- Dark brown in color,
frontally placed, generous, not too small, too protruding or too deep-set. Their mood-mirroring character combined with the wrinkling of the forehead,
gives the Boxer head its unique quality of expressiveness. Third eyelids preferably have pigmented rims. Ears -- Set at
the highest points of the sides of the skull the ears are customarily cropped, cut rather long and tapering, and raised when alert.
If uncropped, the ears should be of moderate size, thin, lying flat and close to the cheeks in repose, but falling forward with a
definite crease when alert. Skull -- The top of the skull is slightly arched, not rounded, flat nor
noticeably broad, with the occiput not overly pronounced. The forehead shows a slight indentation between the eyes and
forms a distinct stop with the topline of the muzzle. The cheeks should be relatively flat and not bulge (cheekiness),
maintaining the clean lines of the skull as they taper into the muzzle in a slight, graceful curve. Muzzle and Nose -- The muzzle,
proportionately developed in length, width and depth, has a shape influenced first through the formation of both jawbones,
second through the placement of the teeth, and third through the texture of the lips. The top of the muzzle should not slant
down (downfaced), nor should it be concave (dishfaced); however, the tip of the nose should lie slightly higher than the root
of the muzzle. The nose should be broad and black.
Bite and Jaw Structure -- The Boxer bite is undershot, the lower jaw protruding beyond the upper and curving slightly upward. The incisor teeth of the lower jaw are in a straight line, with the canines preferably up front in the same line to give the jaw the greatest possible width. The upper line of the incisors is slightly convex with the corner upper incisors fitting snugly in back of the lower canine teeth on each side. Neither the teeth nor the tongue should ever show when the mouth is closed.
The upper jaw is broad where attached to the skull and maintains this breadth, except for a very slight tapering to the front. The lips, which complete the formation of the muzzle, should meet evenly in front. The upper lip is thick and padded, filling out the frontal space created by the projection of the lower jaw, and laterally is supported by the canines of the lower jaw. Therefore, these canines must stand far apart and be of good length so that the front surface of the muzzle is broad and squarish and, when viewed from the side, shows moderate layback. The chin should be perceptible from the side as well as from the front. Any suggestion of an overlip obscuring the chin should be penalized.
NECK, TOPLINE, BODY
Neck -- Round, of ample length, muscular and clean without excessive hanging skin (dewlap). The neck has a distinctly
arched and elegant nape blending smoothly into the withers. Back and Topline -- The back is short, straight, muscular, firm,
and smooth. The topline is slightly sloping when the Boxer is at attention, leveling out when in motion. Body --
The chest is of fair width, and the forechest well-defined and visible from the side. The brisket is deep, reaching down
to the elbows; the depth of the body at the lowest point of the brisket equals half the height of the dog at the withers.
The ribs, extending far to the rear, are well-arched but not barrel-shaped. The loins are short and muscular. The lower
stomach line is slightly tucked up, blending into a graceful curve to the rear. The croup is slightly sloped, flat and broad.
The pelvis is long, and in females especially broad. The tail is set high, docked, and carried upward. An undocked tail should
be severely penalized.
FOREQUARTERS
The shoulders are long and sloping, close-lying, and not excessively covered with muscle (loaded). The upper arm is long,
approaching a right angle to the shoulder blade. The elbows should not press too closely to the chest wall nor stand off visibly
from it. The forelegs are long, straight and firmly muscled and when viewed from the front, stand parallel to each other.
The pastern is strong and distinct, slightly slanting, but standing almost perpendicular to the ground. The dewclaws may be
removed. Feet should be compact, turning neither in nor out, with well arched toes.
HINDQUARTERS
The hindquarters are strongly muscled with angulation in balance with that of the forequarters.
The thighs are broad and curved, the breech musculature hard and strongly developed. Upper and lower thigh are long. The legs are well-angulated at the stifle, neither too steep nor over-angulated, with clearly defined, well “let down” hock joints. Viewed from behind, the hind legs should be straight, with hock joints leaning neither in nor out. From the side, the leg below the hock (metatarsus) should be almost perpendicular to the ground, with a slight slope to the rear permissible. The metatarsus should be short, clean, and strong. The Boxer has no rear dewclaws.
COAT
Short, shiny, lying smooth and tight to the body.
COLOR
The colors are fawn and brindle. Fawn shades vary from light tan to mahogany. The brindle ranges from sparse, but clearly
defined black stripes on a fawn background, to such a heavy concentration of black striping that the essential fawn background
color barely, although clearly, shows through (which may create the appearance of "reverse brindling").
White markings, if present, should be of such distribution as to enhance the dog's appearance, but may not exceed one-third of the entire coat. They are not desirable on the flanks or on the back of the torso proper. On the face, white may replace part of the otherwise essential black mask and may extend in an upward path between the eyes, but it must not be excessive, so as to detract from true Boxer expression. The absence of white markings, the so-called “plain” fawn or brindle, is perfectly acceptable, and should not be penalized in any consideration of color.
GAIT
Viewed from the side, proper front and rear angulation is manifested in a smoothly efficient, level-backed, ground covering
stride with powerful drive emanating from a freely operating rear. Although the front legs do not contribute impelling power,
adequate "reach" should be evident to prevent interference, overlap or "sidewinding" (crabbing). Viewed from the front,
the shoulders should remain trim and the elbows not flare out. The legs are parallel until gaiting narrows the track in proportion
to increasing speed, then the legs come in under the body but should never cross. The line from the shoulder down through
the leg should remain straight although not necessarily perpendicular to the ground. Viewed from the rear, a Boxer's rump
should not roll. The hind feet should "dig in" and track relatively true with the front. Again, as speed increases, the normally
broad rear track will become narrower. The Boxer’s gait should always appear smooth and powerful, never stilted or inefficient.
CHARACTER AND TEMPERAMENT
These are of paramount importance in the Boxer. Instinctively a "hearing" guard dog, his bearing is alert, dignified and
self-assured. In the show ring, his behavior should exhibit constrained animation. With family and friends, his temperament
is fundamentally playful, yet patient and stoical with children. Deliberate and wary with strangers, he will exhibit curiosity but,
most importantly, fearless courage if threatened. However, he responds promptly to friendly overtures honestly rendered.
His intelligence, loyal affection and tractability to discipline make him a highly desirable companion. Any evidence of
shyness, or lack of dignity or alertness, should be severely penalized.
The foregoing description is that of the ideal Boxer. Any deviations from the above described dog must be penalized to the extent of the deviation.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Boxers that are any color other than fawn or brindle. Boxers with a total of white markings exceeding one-third of the entire coat.
AKC Approval February 11, 2005
Effective: March 30, 2005
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